By Jenn Garibay-Weiss

I had the pleasure of “doing lunch” with an exceptional young lady over the weekend: my five-year-old niece, Tara. Her usual sass had been turned up to “11.” After throwing her turkey bacon on the floor and doing a cheer where she rooted for “Team Peepee,” she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflective material that makes up the walls, ceilings and decorative edgings in all New Jersey diners.

“You are the most beautiful girl in the whole world.”

I know I was only feeding it but come on; she really IS the most beautiful girl in the whole world. “I know,” she replied matter-of-factly, “but guess who the most beautiful Aunt in the whole world is? YOU!”

In those moments, I have a Grinch-like experience.  I can almost imagine the cartoon image of my heart growing and bursting whatever tries to contain it, a sparkle in my eyes, light glistening off of me and a smile that is so big it distorts my face slightly.

My three nephews and two nieces are the five most important people in my life. They have truly taught me what love is and given me an unending amount of hope. The responsibility of being an Aunt is one I take on with joy. It is, to me, the most important role I play in life.

Earlier this year I had the most amazing opportunity presented to me: a 10-day trip to rural Southern India. While preparing for the trip there were many things about the culture that we discussed, one of which was that “Auntie” and “Uncle” are commonly used when addressing someone older than oneself. We also talked about how we should handle ourselves when approached by beggars. However, no one told me that children approximately the size of my three-year-old nephew, covered head-to-toe in dirt and grime, wearing nothing but over sized cotton shorts, would be coming up to me, hands outstretched and pleading, “Auntie please, please Auntie!”

The place we spent the most time while in India was an orphanage for HIV-positive children called Happy Home.We decided to go there during the day while the children were at school. There were two boys home sick from school that day, one of which was about the size of my nine-year-old nephew - but he turned out to be a 15-year-old boy, named Pasha.

Pasha is the orphaned child of a Muslim father and Hindu mother and is one of three children. His father died nine years ago from HIV and tuberculosis. After his father’s death, Pasha’s mother moved the family to her parents’ home, where she passed away three years later.

Pasha is HIV-positive. After he was diagnosed, his grandfather, with whom he was living, attempted to kill him. Pasha’s grandmother brought him to an institution that provides HIV-positive children with medication, but does not house them. She abandoned him there, and the institution was unable to find the grandparents. Due to his illness, Pasha suffered a great deal of memory loss and could not remember where they lived. It was then that the institution contacted Happy Home.

I absolutely fell in love with Pasha with in 10 minutes of meeting him. His giant eyes, contagious smile and silly personality made me melt.

While in India, I made sure that I gave Pasha plenty of hugs, forehead kisses and high fives. On one of our later trips to Happy Home, Esther (the “mom” of Happy Home) pulled me aside and told me that after we left one day, Pasha began crying. When she asked him why, he said that he couldn’t understand why I would want to hug him and give him love. It was then I flew into Auntie mode. There were tears that needed drying, hugs that needed sharing and tickles that needed to be dispensed.

However, there is that one thing about being an Auntie - specifically the long distance kind - that puts a stop on all the fun: going home. It’s especially hard when home is on the other side of the planet. Then I was reminded of one of the joys of being an Aunt: freedom.

I’m now in preparations to return to India for three months. My plan is love on Pasha and his “brothers and sisters” at Happy Home and help to teach more people about what is going on in India and to encourage them to help. My desire is to try and instill hope in a situation that many see as hopeless, and to instill the same into a world that my five nieces and nephews will inherit.

You can follow Auntie Jenn’s journey and learn more about the children at Happy Home through her personal blog.

Photo: Courtesy Jenn Garibay-Weiss
Published: October 19, 2010